Recipes and other culinary musings of a food blogger, fashion lover, and occasional lawyer.

Bing Cherry and Almond Tart

by Pâte à Chew on June 4, 2012

Please excuse my absence from blogging – I know, two weeks away is a long time, but I did have a darn good excuse. I spent an extended Memorial Day Weekend with some good friends in Napa, eating and drinking my way through California wine country. The Napa/Sonoma area is now officially my favorite part of the country. Perfect weather, good wine, and most importantly, amazing food.

Of all the meals we had, there was one standout: Mustards Grill, a casual little roadside restaurant that has been in Napa since the 1980s. The food was not expensive, but it was really, really good. So good that as soon as I got home, I ordered their cookbook. I first wanted to make their legendary Lemon Lime Meringue Pie, but seeing as how it’s the season for Bing cherries, this Bing Cherry and Almond Tart called to me.

I made a few modifications to the tart recipe, but overall I thought this was a brilliant dessert. The cherry and almond flavors go beautifully together, and the amount of almonds in the tart do not overpower the fresh, sweet cherries. The almond filling surrounding the cherries has a cake-like texture, which I loved. It’s a perfect dessert for this time of year, when fresh cherries are everywhere you look.

My one complaint was the tart crust – I used the Mustards recipe and did not care for it at all, as it was a bland pie dough and not a tart dough. I’ve recommended below that if you decide to make this, make the tart dough I made last summer for my Fresh Fruit Tart.

1. For the tart pastry, prepare and bake the tart crust as directed, and set aside to cool. Set the oven at 325 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Toss the cherries with the 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl, and set aside.

2. To prepare the filling: heat the butter with the vanilla bean or paste in a saute pan over medium heat, until the butter has melted. Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the butter is brown and fragrant. Do not go anywhere during the process, because butter goes from nicely browned to burned very quickly. Pour the butter into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Pulse together the confectioners’ sugar, nuts, salt, and flour in a food processor, until almonds are finely ground. Add the eggs and pulse until combined, then add the butter and almond extract and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Pour the filling into the tart shell. Place 2 to 3 cups of the cherries evenly over the filling. The original recipe called for 2 cups of the cherries, but I used much more, and probably could have squeeze a few more in. I placed the cherries individually into the filling, since it looks neater this way. The cherries sink into the filling a little bit, so just dumping the cherries into the filling would be messy (not to mention look messy).

4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the filling is golden brown and the center is just set. Cool the tart on a rack, and remove the sides of the pan when serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

I was surprised to see fresh cherries in the grocers, so I bought two big bags. I have plans for one and this may be in the works for the other. Almond and cherries go so well together and your tarts look delicious. This recipe is a keeper-thanks for posting!

I was away from blogging for three weeks, so I totally understand! This tart looks just delicious–a great way to use fresh summer fruit. And I’m glad to hear that Mustards has held up as a good restaurant.

Oh this is a beauty. The cherries are so expensive here right now – keep hoping they will go down – but know Michigan lost most of their crop after some early blooms and a frost – that they probably won’t. But oh how you make me want them. Love pairing cherries and almonds together – match made in heaven.